Of all the major drugs of abuse, only marijuana is available as a natural, harvested product. Drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and legitimate pharmaceuticals are manufactured.

Many problems associated with drug abuse are the result of legitimate controlled substances diverted from their lawful purpose into illicit drug traffic.

The DEA's Office of Diversion Control exists to prevent and investigate the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals and listed chemicals from legitimate sources and to ensure an adequate steady supply for legitimate medical, commercial and scientific use.

Oklahoma
City, No.1 in the nation in per capita meth
lab busts. Police scarcely has time to track down major cocaine
dealers because it's too busy processing meth lab crime scenes.
Across the state, reports of child abuse and neglect are increasing,
and "toxic babies" are the latest victims of the meth war. Last
year in Tulsa, 52 newborns tested positive for meth.

GHB
Use Increases Among Teens -- The inexpensive, colorless and
odorless drug GHB is being used more often by young adults, and
some dying from it. Join Together

Ecstasy
and GHB are common on Seattle's streets and party scene. Understanding
the new drug culture and knowing what's out there are crucial for
protecting yourself or your child.

Crack
in the Culture -- Boys from a handful of Honduran mountain villages
are sneaking across four international borders to Vancouver, BC.
dodging police, and robbers.

Cocaine
-- The bulk of cocaine comes from Colombia, Bolivia and Peru.
Colombian drug syndicates refine 80% of the world's cocaine.
Colombia controls wholesale cocaine distribution through the NE
US. Mexico controls the West and Midwest. Nigerian criminal organizations
in Africa control Sub-Saharan drug markets. 380 tons of cocaine
were seized globally in 1999. 50% occurred in Central and South
America and the Caribbean. 40% was seized in North America and 10%
was seized in Europe.

Beaten
At The Border -- Tons of cocaine are entering the US from Mexico
in semi-trailer trucks every year. Yet Customs failed to make a
single bulk cargo seizure at the El Paso ports of entry last year.
Why is the United States getting beaten at the border?

Hard core
users of heroin and cocaine, are ''disproportionately poor, unemployed
and members of minority groups.'' Hard core users are only 1/5th
of total users, they consume 3/4ths of the cocaine and heroin and
are responsible for pathological behavior. If we could provide treatment
to this population, the drug problem, associated illnesses and crimes
would diminish.

Heroin use
is one of the cases where the good old days really were the good
old days. The initial highs felt better than the drug will ever
make you feel again.

Heroin
-- North America remains an important heroin market in the world.
US authorities seized 1478 kg's during 1998. 1999 shows a slight
increase. In 1994, 68% arrived from Southeast Asia, 9% from Southwest
Asia, 15% from Colombia and 8% from Mexico. 1995 South American
heroin accounted for nearly 62% of heroin seized domestically in
the US. Asia is seriously affected by heroin traffic and abuse.
The heroin consumed in most of the Asian countries is produced in
Afghanistan and Myanmar.

Harvard
and heroin -- I coasted to an Ivy League degree as a drug addict,
but forever damaged the bond between mother and son. Salon

My
son, the junkie -- The young man in the back seat is not recognizable
as our son. He is skinny, with a shaved head. His fingernails are
dirty and cracked. He sweats profusely, even in cool weather. His
clothes are stained, torn at the seams, missing buttons. He shuffles
in his untied shoes. He doesn't use his hands to punctuate conversation,
the way he used to. He holds them together in his lap to stop their
shaking. He still carries around "Crime and Punishment," his favorite
book, but he tells us he has trouble concentrating. When he speaks,
his words slur, his voice trails off before the ends of sentences.
He looks like someone who is dying. Salon

Heroin
is the fatal drug of choice in Seattle --It has killed hundreds
of people from all walks of life over the past 3 years. A new generation
is getting hooked due to low prices and high purity levels. It's
an epidemic that has reached the middle class.

Papaver
somniferum -- The genus is named from the Greek noun for a poppy,
the species from the Latin word meaning 'sleep inducing'. Linnaeus,
the father of botany, first classified in his book Genera Plantarum
in 1753. Like generations before him, he was aware of its capabilities.
Some horticulturists consider it evolved naturally, but others who
claim it is developed by century upon century of careful human cultivation.
Another theory is it is a naturally mutated plant which evolved
because of a quirk of climate or altitude. Plants do take on atypical
forms, such as the cannabis trees of Bhutan.

Investigative
Reports - The Junkie Next Door: Women and Heroin -- Often
ignored by drug abuse experts, young women are turning to heroin
and other drugs at increasing rates. We'll visit a Santa Cruz,
California, community of self-described "girl junkies" who are
trying to help themselves with their own needle exchange program
and an informational magazine.